Container sealing device



Dec. 10, 1968 H. J. BLAISDELL 3,415,409

CONTAINER SEALING DEVICE Filed July 6, 1967 /0a 56 34 da 3 j INVENTOR.

l-loMee J 844/5051. L

United States Patent 3,415,409 CONTAINER SEALING DEVICE Homer 1. Blaisdell, Blaisdell Manufacturing, Inc., 6881 Stanton Ave., Buena'Park, Calif. 90620 Filed July 6, 1967, Ser. No. 651,496 9 Claims. (Cl. 220 40 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for removably sealing an elongate opening formed in a resilient sheet defining one end of a container, which device includes a flat plate, resilient ring supported therefrom, and a cam, with the resilient ring and plate cooperatively defining a seal when the cam is partially extended through the opening and rotated to a substantially transverse position relative thereto. As the cam, ring and plate are concurrently rotated, those portions of the sheet adjacent the opening are bowed towards said plate, and the ring is forced into sealing pressure contact with the exterior surface of said sheet material, with said device being removable from said sheet when returned to its initial positon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention A device of the present invention relates to the field of sealing equipment for removably sealing an elongate opening formed in a resilient sheet.

Description of the prior art Although numerous devices have been evolved and used in the past for removably sealing bottles, jars and the like, after they have been opened, such devices are not practicable for sealing elongate openings formed in containers after tear top tabs formed therein are removed therefrom.

The present invention provides an inexpensive sealing device of simple mechanical structure that may be removably aflixed to a container having an elongate opening in one end thereof to solve the problem of maintaining carbonated beverages in the container out of contact with the ambient atmosphere and in a pressurized effervescent condition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A compact, lightweight sealing device of simple mechanical structure, and one that can be formed from commercially available materials, that may easily be placed into an engaging position with an opening formed in an elongate sheet forming a part thereof with the device when so disposed and rotated relative to the sheet having a resilient ring being forced into pressure sealing contact with the surface of the sheet most adjacent thereto, with the ring and a plate supporting the ring cooperatively defining a seal for said opening.

A major object of the invention is to provide a compact, lightweight, portable sealing device that is particularly adapted for sealing an elongate opening formed in one end of a container in which a carbonated beverage or other liquid is retained, to seal said beverage or liquid out of contact with the atmosphere, and if the liquid is carbonated, to maintain said liquid in a pressurized condition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a top perspective View of a conventional cylindrical container in which an elongate opening is formed that is removably sealed by the present device;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the sealing device in an inverted position;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the sealing device removably mounted on an end of a container in which an elongate opening is formed;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the sealing device when in a sealing position on the container, taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a second fragmentary cross-sectional View of the sealing device mounted on the container, taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the device when in its initial position on a container;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective vew of an alternate form of the device; and

FIGURE 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the alternate form of the device taken on the line 88 thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The sealing device A, best seen in perspective in FIG- URES 1 and 2, is particularly adapted for use in sealing an elongate opening B, as shown in phantom line in FIG- URE 3, when a tear top tab (not shown) is removed from an end 10 of a cylindrical container C which contains a liquid, such as a carbonated beverage. The end 10 of such a container C is formed from a resilient sheet material normally attached to the side wall 12 of the container by a bead 14.

The sealing device A includes a plate 16, as may best be seen in FIGURES 4 and 5, that is preferably formed from either a lightweight metallic material such as aluminum, vmagnesium, or an alloy thereof, or a polymerized resin commercially available and suitable for such a purpose. The plate 16 is preferably circular and is provided with first and second opposite sides 18 and 20, respectively.

An elongate handle 22 projects outwardly from the second side 20. The configuration handle 22 is of a reverse curve to permit easy gripe thereof by the thumb and fingers of the user (not shown) to concurrently rotate the handle and plate 16 for reasons to be later explained.

The plate 16, as may best be seen in FIGURES 4 and 5, has a circular recess 24 extending inwardly from the first side 18 thereof. The recess 24 receives a circumferential portion of a resilient ring 26 that snugly and sealingly engages the recess and is bonded to plate 16 by conventional means (not shown). The internal diameter of the ring 26 is at least as great as the length of the elongate opening B so that when the device A is in a container sealing position, as shown in FIGURE 3, the opening B will be situated within the confines of the ring 26. A centrally located protuberance 28 projects from the outer extremity of the first side 18 of plate 16, as shown in FIGURE 5, and the protuberance supports an elongate cam member D.

The cam D is of such length as to be at least partially insertable through the elongate opening B. Cam D includes two longitudinally spaced, oppositely sloping edges 30, portions of which are disposed both below and above the end 10 when the sealing device A is first brought into contact with the container C to seal the opening B. The position of the edges 30 when the sealing device is in this initial position is best illustrated in FIGURE 6.

After the sealing device A has been placed in the initial position (FIGURE 6) on the end 10 of container C, the handle 22 is gripped by the thumb and fingers of the user to concurrently rotate the handle 22, plate 16, ring 26, and cam member D relative to the end 10 until the handle and cam occupy a substantially transverse position relative to the opening B, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.

As the cam D rotates relative to the end 10, the edges 30 of the cam slidably engage portions Illa of the end 10 adjacent opening B which causes these portions 10a to bow outwardly in the manner shown in FIGURE 4. Due

to the resiliency of the material defining portions 10a, this outward bowing thereof tends to force or draw the plate 16 towards the end 10, with pressure being applied to the sealing ring 26 during such action. The force applied to the sealing rings 26 as described, causes the ends 26a of the sealing rings 26 to be placed in pressure sealing contact with the outer surface of the end 10 (FIGURES 4 and 5). Thereafter, the ring 26 and plate 16 cooperatively define a confined space 32 that is out of communication with the ambient atmosphere but is in communication with the opening B. The contents (not shown) of the container C are then sealed from the ambient atmosphere, and if carbonated, the contents of the container will remain pressurized.

When it is desired to remove the sealing device A from the container C, the handle 22 is gripped by the thumb and fingers (not shown) and the sealing device rotated to the initial position where the cam D is in longitudinal alignment with the opening B, and the sealing device A can be lifted from the container C to permit liquid in the container to be poured therefrom through the opening. When it is desired to reseal the container C, the sealing device A is again mounted in the initial position on the container, and the operation above-described repeated.

The plate 16, handle 22, protuberance 28 and cam D are preferably formed as an integral unit from a polymer-ized resin, although a lightweight metallic material may be used for this purpose if desired.

An alternate form E of the sealing device of the present invention is shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, and includes a plate 40, from the circumferential edge of which a ring 42 projects. The plate 40 and ring 42 are formed from a substantially rigid material but one which is still resilient to a degree. Various commercially available plastic materials may be used in the fabrication of plate 40 and ring 42.

A metallic member F is provided that is preferably stamped from stainless steel sheet. Member F defines a handle 44 of no greater length than the diameter of plate 40. A cam member 46 depends from handle 44 in the same manner as cam D depends from plate 16 in the first form of the device. Cam 46 is of the same general shape as cam D.

The alternate form E of the sealing device is preferably formed by injection molding the plate 40 and ring 42 with the member F in place therein, as shown in FIGURE 7. The upper extremity of the cam 46 (FIGURE 8) is above the lowermost surface 42a of ring 42 in the same manner as the upper extremity of cam D is positioned above the lower extremity of ring 26 in the first form of the device. Both the first and alternate forms of the invention operate in the same manner and accomplish the same results.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for removably sealing an elongate opening formed in a resilient sheet that defines the top of a container, including:

(a) a resilient ring, the internal diameter of which is at least as great as the length of said opening;

(b) a plate supporting said ring in a tfixed projecting position from a first side thereof;

(c) handle means located on a second side of said plate for concurrently rotating said plate and ring;

(d) elongate rigid cam means projecting from, and

secured to, said first side within said ring, with said cam means being of such length as to be insertable in said opening, which cam means of such depth as to be partially disposed Within said container and outside said container, and when said cam means is rotated to a substantially transverse position relative to said opening by use of said handle said ring is forced into sealing pressure contact with the upper surface of said top.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said cam means comprises a generally triangular rigid member having two oppositely tapering edges that engage and bow said portion of said top outwardly.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said cam means further includes:

(e) a protuberance located at substantially the center of said first side; and

(f) a generally triangular rigid member supported on the outermost end of said protuberance, which member has two oppositely tapering edges that how said portion outwardly when said member is rotated towards a transverse position relative to said opening.

4. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said handle means comprises an elongate handle that projects outwardly from said first side.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 wherein said handle, plate and cam means are formed as an integral unit.

6. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein an annular recess is formed in said first side, in which recess a portion of said resilient ring is seated.

7. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said plate is sufiiciently rigid that portions of said top adjacent said opening are bowed outwardly when said cam means are transversely disposed.

8. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said ring and plate are formed as an integral unit from a plastic material.

9. A device as defined in claim 8 wherein said handle means and cam means are formed as an integral unit, with at least a portion of said handle means being embedded in said plate to support said cam means in a depending position therebelow.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS JAMES B. MARBERT, Primary Examiner. 

